


Humble New Beginnings

by OmnipresentNuance



Series: Five Girls, One Boy [5G1B AU] [1]
Category: The Loud House (Cartoon)
Genre: 5G1B AU, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Baby, Big Sisters, Gen, Little Brothers, Reboot, Sibling Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:42:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24651016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OmnipresentNuance/pseuds/OmnipresentNuance
Summary: For the past decade, the children of the Loud family have consisted only of five girls, each two years older than the next. But with the arrival of the sixth and final child that the parents of those girls will ever have, all of that will change as a boy will be brought into the family and with it the promise of new exciting adventures and responsibilities for the girls. [5G1B AU]
Series: Five Girls, One Boy [5G1B AU] [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1782301
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Humble New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! Well...didn't think you'd see me back at it again so soon did you? Yes, only two days removed from my last posting and here we are, and oh boy, am I so thrilled for this one and what it represents the beginning of.
> 
> First, just in case anyone is thinking "dang, did you get this one done in just two days?", the answer is a flat no. In actuality, this one has technically been done for quite a long time and I only just recently did some final basic editing these past couple of days. Just how long had it been done beforehand? Oh, you know...August 2019. Yeah, when I've said a handful of times that I have been working on some of these for upwards of months ahead of time, I meant it. If anyone wonders why despite that it took me until December of last year to finally start publishing, it was all just a matter of feeling like I was finally ready to make my grand debut by that point. But enough waffling about the past, because I'm eager to explain the grander purpose of this one.
> 
> So, you know when I said in my profile update at FanFiction.net at the beginning of this month that this will be the time for that big thing to at last come to fruition? Well, meet that very beginning, because ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to officially announce the start of my Loud House alternate universe known as "Five Girls, One Boy" or also known by the abbreviation of the 5G1B AU. I've more or less had the basic framework of this in my head pretty much within the first couple of weeks of becoming a Loud House fan and I'm so happy to finally get it started. I also had been working very intermittently on a handful of other stories within the timeline of that AU in that time, but I put a halt over working on them last September to specifically only devote time in writing stuff set in the original canon. Now six months after my start of actually publishing what I write, I believe the time has finally come to kick this AU off at last.
> 
> Just by looking at the name, you might get a hint over what it's about, but allow me to get more descriptive. This is essentially a reboot and reset of The Loud House which explores a lifetime where the older sisters and Lincoln are the only kids of the family. Yes, might seem like an expected choice given my unapologetic likening of largely writing stuff all about or having those six in central roles, but I will say there is an actual storyline reason for why further procreation stops after Lincoln that will be fully revealed as this AU goes on. The other significant change as laid out in the summary is how everyone is now two years older than the next, meaning there's been some aging up done, too. Specifically, Lori, Leni, Luna and Luan are 4 years, 3 years, 2 years and 1 year older than they originally are, while Lynn and Lincoln stay in the same age range they already are in. Also for the first several stories in this AU, since this will be an age progression saga up until a certain point, I'll also be mentioning the ages of the siblings at beginning of each story. That's a lot more easier and less repetitious than doing something like "(insert character here), who is now (insert age here)" each time. Finally, I'll also be soon adding a new section to my profile over at FanFiction.net specifically dedicated to everything involving this AU with further information as it goes along.
> 
> The last little detail I'll bring up which you've probably noticed is that every story set in this AU will have that signature of [5G1B AU] added at the end of the summary to further signify the difference between them and anything else I've written before or will also write in the future, which are otherwise set in the proper original canon of The Loud House.
> 
> Okay, finally...with that long backstory and explanation done, and with anticipation building inside of me reaching its peak for this big time project having getting its start at long last, I won't delay you any longer. Have at it and enjoy!
> 
> The Loud House is the exclusive property of Nickelodeon and Viacom. The usage of the setting, characters and such is based on nothing more than a pure affinity for everything and is not being used for monetary purposes.
> 
> Ages:  
> Lori - 10  
> Leni - 8  
> Luna - 6  
> Luan - 4  
> Lynn - 2  
> Lincoln - Newborn

The time was 8:00 PM at a standard suburban neighborhood in the town of Royal Woods, Michigan. Within the neighborhood stood a house owned by a family going by the surname Loud, which currently consisted of a husband and wife plus their five children, all of which were girls. But in a few more months time, the number of kids was going to be bumped up to six.

Right now, the aforementioned husband and wife, Lynn Sr. and Rita, were in their bedroom that was based in the ground floor of their home. As indicated, Rita was presently 13 weeks pregnant with her sixth, and what had been decided by she and her husband to be their final child, and tomorrow morning they would be heading over to the doctor's office for an ultrasound to find out the gender of their forthcoming child.

It was precisely that upcoming appointment that was causing Lynn Sr. to pace around nervously around the bedroom. It wasn't because of any parental jitters, because after all, with having five kids already, he knew what to expect when it comes to bringing in yet another bundle of joy. What was actually getting to him was his diminishing hopes of if he'll ever be the proud father of a little boy instead of yet another girl.

"Honey, would you please relax?" Rita said to her fretting husband, "No need to so worked up over this."

"I know, I know..." Lynn Sr. responded after sighing, "It's just that the last two times we've done this, I've gotten my hopes up that we may be having a boy, only for them to be dashed. I hate even having to say that, Rita. I'm mean, I love our girls to death, but I wish we could have just even one boy, just one! I don't think that's so much to ask for!"

"I understand, Lynn, and I do sympathize." Rita said, "And believe me, I'd love to have a boy as well. But regardless, we did agree that this was going to be our last child. I thought five was going to be enough, but I think for certain six is reaching our limit, if not pushing just beyond."

Lynn Sr. paused and looked towards his wife, "Yeah, I understand. And at the end of the day, if we do have another girl, I'll be fine with that. Again, I would really, _really_ love to finally have a boy, and that would be my preferred outcome, but I'll be okay no matter what."

Feeling a bit more relaxed, Lynn Sr. smiled and sighed happily before he went on over and joined Rita in their bed to get some much need sleep. Though it may have only been 8:00 PM, they needed to get up early the next morning at about 5:00 AM so they can have plenty of time to get ready for their appointment, as well as get some preparations for the girls on top of that.

Speaking of which, and unbeknownst to Lynn Sr. and Rita, their entire conversation had been overheard by their three oldest girls, Lori, Leni and Luna. They had been sitting just outside the doorway of their parents' bedroom listening in, trying to find out anything about their new upcoming sibling.

"Oh, I literally can't wait until tomorrow!" Lori quietly beamed, "I don't know about you two, but I agree with Dad, I'd really like a boy as well!"

"I do, too!" Leni agreed, "I want to have a cute little brother!"

"Same here!" Luna chimed in, "That would be awesome!"

The three of them continued excitedly chattering among each other, remaining quiet as such they don't alert their parents to their presence.

"What going on?"

Their nighttime eavesdropping and talk thereafter would interrupted when an adorably squeaky voice caught their attention. They turned around to see that the spot of broken toddler English belonged to their youngest sister, Lynn, who was being lead along by the hand by their second youngest sister, Luan.

"Hi!" Luan chirped happily, "Can we join in?"

"Hey, shouldn't you two be in bed by now?" Leni inquired sweetly.

"Yeah, and how Lynn get down here, anyway?" Luna wondered, as climbing down the stairs would have certainly been a difficult task for their toddler sister.

"Teewurk!" Lynn happily said, throwing her right fist up in the air.

Leni and Luna appeared confused over what their baby sister was trying to say.

"I believe she was saying 'teamwork', guys," Lori said with a small chuckle, "But anyway, like Leni just said, you should be back in bed."

Both Luan and Lynn whined upon hearing that.

"Aw, but we wanted to know more about the baby." Luan said.

"Baby! Baby!" Lynn repeated while hopping in place.

Leni smiled and giggled, "Aw...they just wanted to know more about the baby like us."

Luna laughed and ruffled both of her younger sisters' hair, "You're gonna have to wait like the rest of us, though!"

Lori nodded, "But until then, it's back to bed for you two."

With that, Lori reached down and picked up Luan into her arms as Leni did the same with Lynn, while Luna simply followed them from behind as they headed back upstairs. After helping Luan and Lynn with getting put back to bed, the three oldest sisters then headed into their respective bedrooms as they attempted to get some sleep themselves. The keyword here being "attempted" as actually staying asleep all through the night would be quite difficult, for they were just too excited for the events of what kind of new baby they would eventually become big sisters to in the months ahead.

* * *

The following morning, Lynn Sr. and Rita were off at the doctor's office while their five girls were back home being watched over by their grandfather, Albert, or "Pop-Pop" as he was affectionately referred to as such.

Just a few minutes shy of noon, the couple returned to a home of relative peace, largely due to three different factors. First, Albert was seen having dozed off in one the chairs in the living room. Secondly, in a truly adorable scene, Luan was sleeping against the arm of the couch while Lynn was flopped over her lap in a similar state of slumber. Finally, Lori, Leni and Luna were sitting on the floor just in front of the couch together looking worn down, indicating they may have had a fairly busy day so far.

"Hi everybody, we're back!" Rita announced as she stepped through the front door.

Her statement caused Albert to awaken with a snort and turn towards her direction.

"Oh, hi there, Rita! You're back sooner than I thought." He said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm surprised about that, too," She said, "It didn't take as long as I anticipated."

Rita walked further inside to look at the scene of her two youngest daughters asleep together, where a sweet smile adorned her lips. She looked down at her older daughters as well, chuckling at their spent state of affairs.

"You girls doing okay?" She asked them.

They didn't give verbal responses, but they did turn to look at their mom and gave her weak grins, plus each showed an affirmative thumbs up.

"You must've had quite the morning, huh?" Rita said, "Plus, I bet you took a lot out of Pop-Pop as well!"

"Actually, that's not the case at all." Albert said as he stretched his limbs and kicked back on the chair, "Those three took care of everything, and I do mean _everything!_ From playing with the little ones over there, to taking care of their every need, and even doing stuff for me, too! It's like I got a free day out of it all! Spending the morning with my granddaughters and getting to just laze around on top of that? You couldn't ask for a better day!"

Rita laughed at her father's description of the day's events. At the same time, Luan began to stir awake from her slumber, which also caused Lynn to do the same in response.

"Hi, Mommy!" Luan cheerfully stated.

"Hi, sweetie." Rita responded as she sat down on the couch, "Did you and Lynn have a nice little nap?"

While Rita took a moment in doting with her daughters, Albert couldn't help but notice the conspicuous absence of Lynn Sr. in the home.

"Hey, Rita, where's Lynn?" He asked as he looked around.

"I here…!"

Albert looked back over at the couch where he saw his youngest granddaughter standing up on the couch and reaching out adorably. She was still a little drowsy, so she ended up falling over face first onto the cushions before Rita helped her back up.

"Of course you are, sweetheart!" Albert said after some laughter, "But I was talking about your daddy!"

"Yeah, I'm noticed that, too." Lori remarked, standing on up after regaining the strength to do so, "Where is Dad, anyway?"

Both Leni and Luna also slowly got up onto their feet as they too wondered where their dad was. They both looked out the window in the living room, where they managed to see him sitting out on the front steps with his face buried in his hands.

"He's outside just sitting right over there," Luna said while turning her head curiously, "What's he doing?"

"Aw, is he crying?" Leni wondered sadly.

Rita let out a sigh as she stood up and walked on over to the front door to check on her husband.

"Honey, aren't you coming in?" She asked with concern while peering through the door.

Lynn Sr. sniffled as he turned towards his wife, "Just...give me a moment, okay?"

Rita nodded reluctantly, then shut the door gently and walked back to the living room with a sigh.

"Ooh, did things not go well today, at least in the sense of gender?" Albert questioned.

Rita looked at her father and smiled, "Actually, they went..."

"Okay, I'm ready now!"

Her statement was interrupted by that happy shout that she knew came from her husband outside. Seconds later, Lynn Sr. came bursting through the front door sliding on his knees, tears of joy flowing from his eyes and throwing his hands up in the air triumphantly.

"Yes! Yes! Oh-ho-ho, _yes!"_ He shouted in pure delight.

Albert looked back up at Rita, "Guess things did go well after all, huh?"

"Yes, you can certainly say that..." She replied with a grin.

"Went well? They didn't just simply go well, Al!" Lynn Sr. said as he sprung back up to his feet, "They went _fantastically!_ Better than I could have ever expected!"

He enthusiastically hugged his wife and did the same with Albert before he went on over to his daughters.

"Dad, why are you acting so excited?" Lori asked, but then she gasped as it hit her, "Unless..."

"Yes, that's right, sweetie!" Lynn Sr. said happily as looked on at all of his daughters, "Guess what, girls? It's finally happening! You're all going to be the proud big sisters of... _a little brother!_ Your mother is having a boy!"

After letting it sink in for a second, Lori, Leni and Luna all shouted and cheered in pure joy before they came over and hugged their father tightly, which he also did in response for them as well. Luan was also cheering from her seat on the couch, and although Lynn Jr. looked a bit confused at first, she too joined in, because even in confusion, exuberant jovial cheering can be quite addictive for toddlers.

* * *

Several more months passed on, and the anticipation was building fast. Now eight months pregnant, Rita was mere weeks away from being able to welcome into both the world and her family what they knew was going to be a precious little boy. However, there was still one stumbling block to get over: a name.

As crazy as it may sound, the family had spent all these months getting everything else ready for the first and only Loud boy's eventual arrival, except for the all important aspect of a name. The main theory for such a prolonged delay on such a crucial decision was that since Rita and Lynn Sr. had brought into the world nothing but girls thus far, they had gotten so used to choosing feminine names quite easily. Now with them about to bring in their first boy, on top of being their last child overall, they wanted to take their time in coming up with a special, noteworthy name to bestow upon their future son.

At this moment in time, right in the evening hours and shortly after dinner, a family brainstorming session was occurring. Lynn Sr. was sitting in the middle of the couch with Lynn Jr. right on his lap and Luan next to him on one side, while Lori, Leni and Luna were sitting on the floor near the coffee table. A few pieces of paper had been strewn across the table from a notepad that Lynn Sr. had been scribbling on with suggestions from each of his daughters over what name they'd like their future little brother to bear, though the bulk of the suggestions came from the three oldest girls.

Meanwhile, Rita came into the living room to check on things, walking quite carefully given her heavily pregnant state.

"How is everything going?" She asked while gingerly taking a seat in the nearby chair.

"They're going well, Mom," Lori said in response with a smile, "I think we're close to finally deciding on a name!"

"I wouldn't say that quite yet, sweetie..." Lynn Sr. said, chewing on the eraser of the pencil he was holding, "Ding-dang darn it, why is it so hard to narrow down a name?!"

"Din dayn dawn it!" Lynn Jr. said imitatively, getting a brief chuckle from her dad.

"See? Even a two year old knows how frustrating this is!"

"Well, first off, I think she was possibly imitating you just for the sake of it..." Rita said, "And secondly, don't get so worked up over this. We still got some time until the baby comes along, so just relax, okay? So with that said, why don't you tell me what ideas you've gotten down so far?"

Lynn Sr. sighed, but then let a smile form, "Sure thing, honey. Well, what we've been thinking is that we'll still keep up the tradition of the name starting with the letter 'L', but we think we should break from tradition by not sticking to the four letter limit we've had with the girls here. Some ideas we've come up with include Landon, Lance, Linden, Lawrence, Lewis and…well, maybe I'm just being self-serving here and I know I just said we're perhaps going beyond four letters, but I wouldn't mind if our little guy was named Lynn III."

Rita laughed softly, "Hey, you never know."

While continuing to observe her family working over name suggestions, Rita couldn't help but notice one particular piece of paper on the table that stood out to her. It was buried underneath couple other bits of paper, but the colorful scribbles managed to stick out ever more so.

"Hey, what's that paper over there?" She asked, pointing towards it.

"You mean this one, Mom?" Luna replied as she sifted it out from the rest.

"Yeah, can I see it for a moment?"

Luna nodded and handed the paper over to her mother. Once she had it in her hands, Rita realized it was a crude, yet ultimately cute little drawing of the entire family. She could tell that it was one that Luan must have done based on the art style that she had seen from other similar drawings that her fourth daughter had made before.

"Luan, did you make this, honey?" Rita asked as she smiled in her direction.

"Uh-huh." Luan responded, then pointed over to her younger sister, "And Lynn also helped, too."

Rita chuckled and looked back at the drawing again. She managed to then notice a couple extra details she didn't initially catch at first. The first was a tiny figure curiously drawn and colored with an orange crayon. She assumed this had to be Luan's interpretation of her soon to be coming little brother. The other detail was a very bizarrely and randomly spelled word that had been written right near the top of the paper that she didn't recognize, which in this case might've been written by Lynn given her still sloppy and burgeoning handwriting.

"'Luh-in-kuh-oln?'" Rita said out loud, totally unsure if she was saying or reading it correctly.

"Huh, what was that, Mom?" Leni wondered.

"Oh, I'm trying to figure out what this word written of this drawing of Luan's that I think Lynn is responsible for." Rita said while flipping the drawing over and pointing to the word in question.

Her oldest daughters stood up and looked at the drawing, with Lori taking it into her hands.

Leni curiously turned her head, "What is that word?"

Luna shrugged, "I don't know."

While her sisters struggled to understand the meaning and perhaps the origin of the word, Lori got a huge grin on her face and snapped her fingers. An idea had come to mind.

"Dad, can I borrow the pencil for a second?" She requested excitedly.

"Oh, uh, okay then, sweetie," Lynn Sr replied, handing the writing utensil to her, "But why?"

Lori didn't answer her dad right away, instead placing the drawing down on the table and quickly writing something on it, then she showed it off to her family.

"Lincoln!" Lori proudly stated, "L-I-N-C-O-L-N! Lincoln!"

"Oh, is that another name suggestion you came up with?" Rita asked.

Lori nodded, "Yeah, but I think it should literally be the name we go for. I'm mean, as long as you all like it, too."

Lynn Sr. stroked his chin in contemplation, "Hmm, you know...Lincoln Loud does have a certain flow to it. I do like the sound of it. What do you say, Rita?"

"You know what? I love it!" Rita responded with mirth, "What about the rest of you girls?"

"I like it!" Leni said happily, "It sounds like such a cute name!"

"I agree." Luna concurred, "Though I'd call it 'cool' instead, but yeah, I like it, too!"

"Well, if that's the case, then it's settled!" Rita declared as she stood slowly up from her chair, "Your little brother's name will be Lincoln!"

With it being official, the family shared in a cheer of joyous celebration over this significant milestone.

"Oh, finally, we got it done!" Lynn Sr. shouted delightfully.

A few more seconds into the celebration of nailing down a name though, Rita felt a sensation inside her stomach that caused her to sit back down.

"Mom, are you okay?" Lori asked worriedly.

"Oh, I'm fine, sweetie..." Rita responded with smile while patting her stomach, "I think your little brother here just gave me a little kick, that's all."

Though most everyone else seemed relieved that it wasn't something more serious, Lynn on the other hand seemed more worried. She got off from her father's lap and toddled over towards her mom before she unexpectedly started tapping Rita's stomach with her hands.

"No kicky Mommy!" Lynn shouted, referencing her unborn little brother.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Lori said while pulling her baby sister away, "Lynn, you shouldn't do that. You might hurt our baby brother."

The moment she heard that, Lynn immediately felt very regretful over her actions.

"I hurt baby?" She said very sadly.

"No, you didn't hurt him, honey, but you just need to be more careful, okay?" Rita told her comfortingly.

Even with her mom's reassurance, Lynn still felt awful. She stumbled backward until she fell into a sitting position, then she whimpered softly before she began to cry. Almost as soon as she started crying, Luan hopped off from the couch and was by the side of her younger sister.

"Aw, please don't cry, Lynn." Luan said to her, giving her a little hug in the process.

"Yeah, it's okay." Lori added, kneeling down next to them, "In fact, here, let me show you."

Lori reached over to take Lynn into her arms and picked her up. She brought her over back to their mom, then Lori took one of Lynn's hands and placed it on Rita's stomach.

"See? You didn't hurt him." Lori assured her little sister, "But you may want to tell him your sorry, though."

Lynn whimpered softly again and then she moved her hand across her mother's stomach, "I sorry, baby..."

"I think you mean to say 'Lincoln', sweetie." Rita said with smile, "After all, that is what his name will be once he's born."

"Linc...oln..." Lynn said quietly as she also yawned.

Lori chuckled, "Looks like its someone's bedtime. Since I already have her with me, I'll take her up to bed."

As she carried her sleepy sister with her, Lori also looked down to see Luan appearing to be getting tired as well.

"Hmm, looks like you're ready for bed, too, huh?" She said before turning to Leni and Luna, "Mind if you guys help her up?"

Both nodded and followed their big sister's request. First, Luna assisted Luan up to her feet, since she had just flopped onto her back in drowsiness, then Leni picked her up as they joined Lori in taking their younger sisters off to bed. While that happened, Rita sat up and went to join her husband over on the couch.

"Do we have amazing kids or what?" She said.

"Tell me about it." Lynn Sr. agreed, "Taking care of their little sisters, and now giving us the name for their little brother? What can't they do?"

"And I guarantee you, all five of them are going to be incredible, loving big sisters to him once he is born." Rita said with a happy sigh, "Our little Lincoln can't come soon enough."

"Oh, I can't wait for that day!" Lynn Sr. said elated.

* * *

Some four weeks later, things were going fairly normally one morning. Lynn Sr. had whipped up a scrumptious breakfast for his daughters, which Lori, Leni and Luna enjoyed at the table in the kitchen and while Luan and Lynn had theirs at the kiddie table just adjacent to where their older sisters were.

However, the morning came to a sudden halt when a long, agonizing groan echoed across the ground floor of the house.

"Oh no..." Lynn Sr. said worriedly, "Uh, girls, stay here, I'll be right back."

He darted out of the kitchen and arrived at his and Rita's bedroom, where he witnessed his wife sitting on the edge of their bed and clutching her stomach.

"Honey, is there something wrong?" He asked her with great concern.

"Lynn, my water just broke..." Rita said, groaning once more, but also bearing a little smile, "I believe our little boy is about to arrive!"

"Oh! Oh my goodness!" Lynn Sr. shouted, "Okay, uh...all right, gotta think about what to do with the girls first, or maybe...gah! Never mind that right now! Hold on, honey, let me go call for an ambulance!"

With that, he ran out of the bedroom to make that very crucial call, and though they had just been told to stay put by their father, all of the girls came rushing in to check up on their mom.

"Mom, is everything okay?" Lori asked.

"Oh, I'm okay, girls, everything's fine," Rita responded, trying to remain positive through the pain she was experiencing, "In fact, I'd say this is a day worth celebrating, because your little brother appears wanting to be brought into this world right about now!"

Though they remained concerned for their mom, a sense of mixed optimism was also filling the girls, at least in the case of the three oldest among them. By contrast, both Luan and Lynn came off as being scared out of their minds with every instance of seeing and hearing their mom shout in pain.

"M-m-mommy?" Luan uttered out in a quivering voice.

Meanwhile, Lynn couldn't contain herself for long as she whimpered and let the tears come rolling down her cheeks. As they saw their little sisters in distress, Leni and Luna did their best in consoling and keeping them calm, while Lori came on over to Rita's side.

"Hey Mom, remember to keep breathing, okay?" She told her mom in a calm, steady voice, "You're going to be fine, that I can be sure of."

Amid the chaos of everything, Rita was filled with motherly pride. She was so proud over how calm under fire Lori was being in reassuring her, and for Leni and Luna doing what they could to comfort Luan and Lynn in the process. She could only anticipate what wonderful things they'll all do once she gives birth to their baby brother.

As all this was going on, Lynn Sr. came running back in.

"Okay, the ambulance is on its way, honey." He said, "Now I need to figure out what we should do in regards to the girls and fast!"

He had to come up with a plan in very short time. His first instinct was to have Albert come over to watch the girls like he has done in the past whenever Rita was about to give birth, but he was busy right at this time. The same could be said for Ruth, Rita's aunt and the girls' great aunt, though the latter may be relieved, since they generally are not at all the most enthused about her. He was even tempted to ask the family's cantankerous neighbor, Mr. Grouse, if he could keep an eye on them, but that was probably all but an impossible proposition. The idea of just simply letting the girls stay home and have Lori keep watch over them even came to mind, with Lynn Sr. thinking she was both old enough and capable of being responsible in such a scenario. But today was going to be a very special day in that the family's first ever little boy was going to be born, and in Lynn Sr.'s mind, there was no way he was going to deny such a moment for his daughters. He wanted them to be there just about as soon as that boy was born.

"All right, you know what, girls? For the first time ever, you're coming along with us to the hospital and you're going to meet your baby brother firsthand soon after he's born!" Lynn Sr. decided on.

A collective cheer was shared among the girls and a few seconds later, Lynn Sr. heard the rumbling of the ambulance pulling up along the curb of the house. He went out the front door to greet a pair of the paramedics who had come along before welcoming them inside and helping them out in assisting Rita on out and into the back of the ambulance. Afterwards, Lynn Sr. gave his wife some additional assurances and told her that he and the girls will be there by her side as soon as they can.

As the ambulance drove off with Rita in tow, Lynn Sr. rushed back into the house to gather up a few things before also getting the girls as well. They all piled inside the family van, otherwise known by the moniker "Vanzilla", and drove off to the hospital, where in a matter of time, they will all get to meet the baby boy they had officially given the beautiful name of Lincoln.

* * *

Upon arriving at the hospital, Lynn Sr. had went up to the receptionist's desk to find out about his wife's condition and asked if or how soon he can be by her side. He was allowed to do so within minutes of asking, and before heading on over, he told the girls to sit on over at the waiting area. He in particular told Lori, Leni and Luna to keep an extra careful watch over Luan and Lynn Jr. while he would be by their mom's side.

Approximately 20 minutes had passed since then and the girls all awaited with rising anticipation for any news about the condition of their mom and especially if their baby brother was born yet. Each of them were sitting in a chair in the waiting area, except for Lynn, who was sitting in Lori's lap.

"I'm very scared about Mommy..." Luan said fearfully, "Is she gonna be okay?"

"Aw, you don't need to be worried, Luan." Leni told her younger sister comfortingly, "She going to be fine, I promise."

Leni patted her frightened sister on the back in assurance, while Luna did her part as well by lightly placing her hand on Luan's shoulder. Lori watched on with a smile, but then soon had to turn her attention to Lynn. She was whimpering and writhing around in her big sister's lap in discomfort.

"Lynn, is there something wrong?" Lori asked her.

Lynn looked up at Lori with an anxious expression on her little face, "Potty…"

"Oh...um, oh dear." Lori reacted awkwardly, turning to Leni and Luna, "Hey, did you guys try to make sure that Lynn had to do her, you know...business, before we left?"

"We tried to, with both her and Luan, but Lynn acted like she didn't need to go." Luna answered while shrugging.

Lori let out a sigh. Just before leaving with their dad, she thought it would've been a good idea to make sure her two youngest sisters had done their potty business, since it was likely going to be long wait at the hospital and so that any unfortunate accidents could be avoided in such a public area. But now, it appeared Lynn was on the verge of having such an accident herself, something Lori was not going to let happen.

"Uh, you know what? I'll be right back." She said to the rest of her sisters, "I'm going to take care of this."

Standing up with Lynn in her arms, Lori made a brisk pace on over to the restroom. Luckily, nobody else happened to be there with them, hopefully making everything a whole lot less awkward. Next, Lori carried her little sister into one of the stalls, shut the door and locked it.

"All right, this is going to feel strange for you, Lynn, but I think we'll literally make this work, okay?" She said in a reassuring tone.

She briefly placed Lynn down onto the floor on her feet, then took out one of those toilet seat covers from a nearby dispenser and put it over the seat of the toilet. Even though this restroom was in a hospital, which means that there had to be an expected level of cleanliness compared to other public restrooms, there was no way that Lori was going to allow her little sister to come in contact with an unprotected toilet seat that still had a chance of having anything grody on it.

Once she got the cover in place, Lori picked up Lynn again, who was now whining almost painfully over having to hold in her young toddler bladder for any longer.

"Hang on, it's okay." Lori said to her calmly.

Now came the most awkward part, but still Lori had to go forward with it for Lynn's sake. She picked her back up and put her just on the back edge of the toilet seat. She then lifted Lynn up slightly and helped lower down her shorts and training underwear just enough so she can do her business. Finally, Lori used her left hand to hold Lynn's feet and legs up so that they didn't splash right into the water below and cupped her baby sister's face with her right hand to make her look right at her own face.

"All right, Lynn, just focus on me and let everything else take its course."

Following her big sister's advice, Lynn groaned quietly as a trickling sound followed soon after. A few seconds later, she groaned again, only this time in relief now that this ordeal was over with. Lori couldn't help but be proud of her for being able to get through this. Had Lynn not started potty training several weeks ago, things would've been so much more awkward, but all things considered, everything went along pretty smoothly.

"Oh, way to go, Lynn!" She said with a big smile on her face, "You're such a good girl."

Lynn returned a smile to her big sister as she also felt Lori's right hand gently caress her cheek. After that, Lori lifted her off the seat, pulled up her shorts and undergarments and then flushed the toilet. She collected her little sister back up into her arms and got out of the stall, then placed her on the counter so that Lori can wash her hands. She chuckled to herself while she then dried off her hands. Having to help Lynn with her sudden bathroom needs on the same day she's perhaps minutes away from meeting her new little brother? All in a days work of a devoted 10-year-old girl who loves her role as a big sister more than anything else.

Once her hands were dry, Lori again carried Lynn with her and exited the bathroom. It was then that she saw a nurse right where Leni, Luna and Luan happened to be and seemingly chatting with them. Her eyes lit up, thinking she knew what this could possibly mean.

"Hey, what's going on?" Lori asked as she arrived on the scene with Lynn.

"Oh, are you two with the rest of these girls?" The nurse asked in return, "All five of you are the children of Rita and Lynn Loud Sr., right?"

"Yes, we are." Lori replied with a nod.

"Well, in that case...how would you all like to meet your new baby brother?"

An enthusiastic gasp was shared by each of the girls, as they could hardly contain themselves.

"Oh my gosh, he's here?! Yes, yes, yes, of course we want to meet him!" Lori stated quite excitedly, then took a moment to calm herself down, "Sorry, but speaking for the rest of my sisters, I think it's safe to say we're so super excited to hear this!"

The nurse chuckled, "Well, I don't blame you! Now y'all follow me, okay?"

She motioned them to come along with her and they did so with diligence. Lori followed along, still with Lynn in her arms, while Leni and Luna were close behind as they were walking with Luan, each holding one of her hands.

After a bit of a walk down a couple of hallways, the nurse showed the girls to the room everyone was in, but first she turned to address them.

"All right, before heading in, a word of advice. Your mom is still quite exhausted from the whole process and your new baby brother is very sensitive to loud noises, given that he's a newborn and all, so try to keep your voices down."

After a nod of agreement from them, the nurse opened the door and let the girls in as they were greeted by their parents.

"Hey, girls, look who's finally here!" Lynn Sr. said softy.

They stepped further inside the room and what they saw made them show off the biggest, happiest smiles they've likely ever shown.

Cradled in the arms of their worn out mother was a tiny little figure who was sound asleep and swaddled in a little blue blanket. Though still a bit out of it, Rita smiled back at her daughters and proceeded to introduce them to this most precious of human miracles brought forth to their family.

"This is your little brother, Lincoln." She said to them, her voice barely holding a whisper.

The girls crowded over closer to their mom so can get a better glance at their newborn brother.

"Oh, look at him!" Luna said after gasping.

"He's the cutest little thing I've ever seen!" Leni quietly beamed.

"Baby! Baby!" Lynn happily said, in the same cadence she said that one evening when she and Luan were investigating their older sisters' eavesdropping of their parents.

Noticing that Luan wasn't getting the best view, unlike Lynn Jr. who was able to see due to be held by Lori, Lynn Sr. picked her up and allowed her to see her new brother more properly.

"Hi there, Lincoln!" Luan chirped out as quietly as she could, becoming the first of her sisters to address him by his given name.

While each of the sisters got to say something, Lori stayed silent the whole time. She was so overwhelmed in happiness that in addition to her smile, she felt herself get a tiny bit misty-eyed.

"You doing okay, sweetie?" Lynn Sr. asked of his oldest daughter.

"I'm fine, Dad." Lori replied, taking a moment to wipe her eyes out, "It's just that...this may be literally the happiest day of my life. At long last, I have a little brother...Lincoln."

"I feel the same way, too." Lynn Sr. agreed, "And as much I hate to admit it, we need to get going right about now. The doctor said they have to keep your mom and brother for a couple more days just to make sure they're both doing well."

"Aww…" The girls collectively said together.

Lynn Sr. chuckled, "Yeah, that was my reaction, too. All right, let's get going and let them both get some rest."

Despite their disappointed reactions, the girls told their mom and baby brother good bye as they left with their father, now counting down every second in their minds until the moment that the newest member of the family, Lincoln, could come home to them.

* * *

It had been the longest and most agonizing few days in the lives of the Loud sisters. But any moment now, all the mental and emotional toil and tribulation was going to be worth it, as their parents would be coming home today along with their new baby brother, Lincoln.

Like previous times whenever a new sibling was arriving, Albert was on duty in staying with the girls until that faithful moment would come about. He was kicking back on one of the chairs in the living room, while Luan and Lynn, having gotten tired from all the waiting, were asleep together on the couch. Meanwhile, Lori, Leni and Luna were looking out the window intently, their faces pressed on it like an adhesive, as they could hardly be able to keep themselves away until the very second that their brother was going to be at his new home.

"Ooh, ooh, that must be them!" Leni said excitedly.

Lori sighed, "No, Leni, for the fifth time these last few minutes, that isn't them. Have a little more patience."

Albert chuckled as he turned his attention to his three oldest granddaughters, "Girls, you know what they say, a watched pot never boils."

"Huh?" Leni said as she briefly looked away from the window, "What do you mean, Pop-Pop?"

"What I'm saying is that if you spent all your time looking out the window waiting for them to come home, it'll feel longer than it should." He explained, "So just take a break and perhaps they will be here in no time."

Taking up their grandfather's advice, the three of them pulled away from the window for just a moment. But then, almost as if his words were prophetic, something very familiar caught their eyes.

"Wait, I think that's them right now!" Luna said enthusiastically.

Sure enough, another quick glance and the sight of Vanzilla coming on down and pulling up on the driveway is what they saw. Barely able to contain their brimming excitement, Lori, Leni and Luna all screamed happily, which woke up both Luan and Lynn, plus it gave Albert a little startle himself.

"Whoa now, easy there!" Albert said with some nervous laughter, "I know you're all excited, but give me a heads up next time."

"Heh, sorry about that, Pop-Pop..." Lori responded sheepishly, "But anyway, they're here! They're finally here!"

As the three older girls kept looking out the window, they watched as their parents stepped out of Vanzilla and more importantly, they saw the tiny little figure in their mother's arms that they've been waiting for since they first met him in the hospital the preceding few days prior.

"Oh, he's finally coming home to us! Yay!" Leni cheered.

They continued watching on until their parents got up to the front door and opened it up.

"Hey, we're back, everybody! And look who came with us!" Lynn Sr. declared, the second statement of his being said in a sing-song fashion.

A happy squeal came out of the mouths of Lori, Leni and Luna as they rushed over and attempted to get a good look at newly arrived baby brother, Lincoln.

"Oh, careful now, girls." Rita cautioned them, "Now I know you must be thrilled, but you don't want to give your new brother here much of a startle."

Lynn Sr. nodded, "Your mother's right. But in any event, why don't you join your sisters over at the couch and soon you'll all get a chance to hold him for the first time."

In a flash, the three of them scampered to the couch right alongside Luan and Lynn. It has been a Loud family tradition since Luna was born that each of the siblings would sit down in a line on the couch and take turns in holding the latest addition to the family, and today was no different. Usually, however, the first one to have the honor in holding said new addition whenever they were brought home was always bestowed to a certain someone else.

"Okay, girls, as you know from experience, Pop-Pop gets the first go at holding our newest little progeny." Rita said.

Albert chuckled and winked over at the girls, "Senior privileges!"

Rita smiled as she gently handed over her days old son over to meet his grandfather, who proudly cradled his first grandson into his arms.

"Oh, look at you!" Albert said blithely, "So happy to finally have a grandson, and already a handsome one at that! And look, seem to be getting a little white top just like your ol' Pop-Pop!"

The "white top" that he was referring to happened to be the tiny amount of hair that little Lincoln had already developed that was white in coloration just like Albert's.

Following a few more seconds of admiring his grandson, Albert handed him back to Rita, who then came on over to where her girls were seated at the couch.

"All right, you ready, girls?" She asked.

A bout of excited chatter confirmed to Rita they could hardly wait much longer. Without further delay, she handed off Lincoln to the first of the girls in line on the couch, which in this case was Luna.

"Oh, he's so adorable!" Luna said happily, bearing the biggest smile she could.

As he was cradled in Luna's arms, Lincoln's bitty little eyes fluttered open for the first time, because up until now, he had been asleep. Now he was taking in his first visualization of his new home and the first thing he laid eyes on was this girl that was holding him who he will later in life identify as one of his big sisters. Though she was a complete stranger to him at this moment, as were everyone else for that matter, he started acting super happy as he made several giddy babbling noises and laughs, which made Luna, and really everybody else, all the more delighted themselves.

"Wow, it seems he really likes you, Luna!" Lynn Sr. observed.

"Yeah, I think so, and I like him, too!" Luna said in agreement, "Better yet, I love him!"

Making that declaration official, Luna emphasized her already strong admiration for her new little brother by very gently bringing him up against her and gave him a brief hug.

"I'm gonna be the best big sister that I can be for you, Linc!" She said in full determination and while she pulled him away from her softly.

"'Linc'? Is that a nickname you came up for him?" Rita asked.

Luna nodded her head, "Yeah, 'cause it's like a short way of saying his name since it's the first four letters of it."

"Hmm, I like the sound of it and how you came about it. Nice thinking, sweetheart!" Lynn Sr. said approvingly.

"Yeah, me too." Rita added with a grin, "Now, why don't you let Leni hold him. She seems really eager to do so."

"Oh, yes please!" Leni said, brimming with excitement.

Luna nodded as she handed Lincoln on over to Leni, who could hardly contain herself in her jovial gushing toward him.

"Hi there!" She said following a delighted gasp, "Aren't you just the cutest little thing ever?"

While adjusting her grip on her baby brother by hold him with just one arm, Leni would then take the index finger from her free hand and lightly tickled him on the side, sending Lincoln into a giggle fit.

"Aw, you're so sweet, Linky!" Leni beamed vigorously.

Rita chuckled, "I see Luna's not the only one who has apparently given Lincoln a nickname."

"Uh-huh! Isn't it cute, just like he is?" Leni asked.

"I'd say that I'm in agreement with that." Lynn Sr. stated with a smile, then turned to his wife, "Boy, we have some creative kids, don't we, Rita?"

"Yes, we sure do, honey." Rita responded, "Also, when you think about, now thanks to these nicknames that Leni and Luna have come up with, each of them has in some manner or another helped out in giving our newest little one his name and such."

After playing around with Lincoln for a little bit more, Leni knew that her time holding him was up and now next down the line would be Lori.

Between herself and the rest of her sisters, Lori felt like she was the happiest of them all in the sense of finally having a little brother. While she was happy each time she had a new sister come along, being able to say she has a brother now felt much more special, and while every subsequent sibling that came along meant she had to shoulder more responsibility on her part, she wouldn't want to have it any other way.

Much like the day she first met him, Lori said very little as she handled her little brother within her arms. The proud smile that adorned her lips said more than many different kinds of words could possibly express in her admiration for Lincoln. She was so lost in thought that it took a little tug of her shirt from Luan to get her attention.

"Lori?" She also said.

"Oh, right, it's your turn now. Sorry for zoning out like that." Lori said, chuckling in slight embarrassment.

"Actually, hold on a second, Lori. Let me have him back for just a moment." Rita said while outstretching her arms.

Lori followed her mom's request and handed Lincoln over to her, then Rita moved over closer to her two youngest daughters.

"Now, Luan and Lynn, since I believe you're both a bit too little to handle Lincoln by yourselves, you should both try holding him at the same time."

She knelt down on one knee and instructed them on how to hold their brother.

"Here, put your hand gently under his head, Luan, and hold on to his back like so. There, that's it. Now, Lynn, I'm going to put his legs across your lap and you can put your arms under them this way. Ah, there we go!"

Feeling satisfied with the way that they were handling Lincoln, Rita stepped back and let Luan and Lynn take things from there.

From the get go, Luan was positively tickled pink with Lincoln. She giggled sweetly in reaction to a lovable expression he was showing off, then she made a goofy little face at him, which in turn made him laugh.

"You're funny and silly, Lincoln!" She said giddily.

On the other hand, Lynn was looking on with a more blank and confused expression on her face. It clashed sharply not just with how Luan reacted, but even how Lynn herself was the day she first met Lincoln, where she was just as happy as anyone upon seeing him.

"Is there something wrong, Lynn?" Rita asked.

"I nowonger baby?" Lynn questioned in her own confusing toddler way.

Lynn Sr. looked on perplexingly at what his youngest daughter was conveying, "Uh, I'm sorry, what did you say, sweetheart?"

"I think she was saying something like 'I'm no longer a baby', Dad." Lori said, again showing off her abilities as something of a toddler whisperer.

"Well, if that's the case, then of course you're not a baby anymore, honey. You haven't been one since you turned two some time ago and became a toddler." Lynn Sr. told his youngest daughter in a cutesy voice and lightly poking her nose.

Lori shook her head, "Actually I don't think that's what she meant, Dad. I think what she's trying to suggest is that since Lincoln is with us now, she's no longer the youngest member of the family and might be worried she'll not get as much attention."

Rita knelt back down at eye level to Lynn Jr. and placed a hand on her cheek, all while smiling reassuringly.

"Oh, that's not the case at all, Lynn. Of course Lincoln will be getting lots of attention, but that doesn't you or any of your sisters are going to get any less." She said to her.

"Yeah, your mother's right, honey." Lynn Sr. added in agreement as he came around to the side of the couch near her, "And think of it this way: I know you already at your age love looking up to your sisters. Well, now you'll soon get to know what it will feel like to have Lincoln look up to you, and I think you'll feel very proud once that happens."

Though it appeared she still had concerns about this new phase of her life, Lynn Jr. did feel a bit better after hearing her parents' encouraging words. Helping matters more was when she looked back over to Lincoln and it seemed like his gaze was locked right at her. He laughed sweetly once again and kicked around his tiny feet. Whether or not it was specifically because of her, Lynn Jr. grinned at him and giggled.

"Baby brufer Lincoln!" She happily said.

One big shared "aw..." emitted from everyone else as Lynn Jr. appeared to slowly let her emerging new role as a big sister begin to set in. Soon after, Lincoln was showing signs of weariness and because of that, Rita took him back with her.

"Looks like he had just enough energy to meet his big sisters. Now I'd say its time for him to get some rest." She said.

With her newborn son drifting to sleep, Rita carried Lincoln on over to her and Lynn Sr.'s bedroom, situated just beyond the living room, so she can put him away in the crib that was set up in there. It has been the same crib that's been used ever since Lori was born, with the only difference being the pink blankets and such that were put in place for each of the girls had been swapped out in favor of blue ones.

As Rita ever so gently placed Lincoln into the crib, Lynn Sr. arrived to get one last glace at his son before he settled in for his nap.

"Isn't he such a darling?" Rita whispered.

Lynn Sr. nodded and placed an arm around his wife, "I'd say so, just like the woman who I'm eternally thankful for that did all the work in bringing him into the world."

"Oh, well now, you don't have to make it sound like this was merely my own doing." Rita said through some soft tittering, "You played your own important role in all of this, too, if you catch my drift..."

Lynn Sr. laughed nervously and pointed over to Lincoln, "Uh, you may want to stop while you're ahead, Rita, given our present company. I mean, I know he's just a baby and can't understand us, but still..."

Rita chuckled as she placed the blanket over Lincoln's tiny form. Then, she remembered something else.

"Oh, almost forgot!"

She briefly exited the bedroom for a moment, then returned with a small stuffed rabbit toy in her hands. She put it inside the crib just a few inches away from where Lincoln was.

"We should leave him alone so he can get some sleep right now." Rita said to her husband.

Lynn Sr. nodded in concurrence as he and Rita both left their bedroom and closed the door behind them before returning their attention to Albert and the girls.

"So anyway..." Rita began addressing them, "You may have noticed that we came back home a little later than we expected. That was because we had to make a stop over at Aunt Ruth's on the way home, so technically she's the first one to have met Lincoln. She told us that she wishes she'd be able to join us here, but she was busy at the time."

"Which if you ask me was just her convenient way of saying that she wasn't willing to leave all her cats alone for too long of a time. Oh, and because of her cats, in order to meet Lincoln, she had to do so out in the front yard, which was likely as far as she was ever going to be away from them for the time being." Lynn Sr. said bluntly.

Rita rolled her eyes at her husband's interpretation of events, while Albert simply chuckled.

"Well, in fairness, that does sound very much like Ruth. She's always been quite attached to her feline friends." Albert said.

"Yeah, a little _too_ attached sometimes..." Lynn Sr. added in a grumbling manner, but shifted over to more pleasant tone, "But anyhow, now that our new little one is sound asleep, may as well get early preparations for dinner going."

"Oh, mind if I lend a hand?" Albert requested, "I am looking for an excuse to get the joints limbered up after having my keister parked on this chair for quite a while now."

"Sure, we could use the help, Dad." Rita answered with a smile.

As the three of them departed the living room in favor of the kitchen, the girls took this as an opportunity to go over to their parents' room and get another look at Lincoln. They looked down into the crib, or in Luan and Lynn's case, through the bars, at their sleeping baby brother with wide grins on their faces.

"Oh, he looks so cute asleep!" Luna beamed with a whisper.

"Yeah, he does! Oh, and look at the little bunny toy he has with him!" Leni added following a light gasp.

While her sisters very quietly expressed their admiration for Lincoln, Lori couldn't help but notice that the blanket covering him was slightly out of alignment, so she reached down and carefully readjusted it to properly cover him more. After that, she smiled and believed it was best to leave him alone.

"Come on, we should let him sleep for now." She informed her sisters, "But I know for certain that we will literally have many years of bonding and memories with him to come."

And so with that promise made, Lori lead her sisters out of the room, but not before she took one last glance over at her baby brother. She smiled, knowing that she and her sisters will do whatever they can to uphold her aforementioned statement and also be the absolute best big sisters to him in the years to come no matter what.

**Author's Note:**

> There we have it! The start of a new different saga that already holds a very near and dear spot in my heart. One thing I will add in regards to Rita's part of her saying how each of the girls played some role in contributing a part of Lincoln's name, you might not think Luan did much since Lynn was the one who inadvertently was the genesis of their brother's name, I'd at least Luan does have some credit by proxy if for any other reason because it was her drawing where that word which came to be the inspiration of the name Lincoln. Thought I mention that just to put in some additional clarification.
> 
> So...I don't really have much else to say, shocker of all shockers. I think the ending speaks for itself and I'll let it be. But of course what I will say to close things out is that I thank each and every single one of you for reading and all the support and such that accompanies it. You are some high quality people and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. With that, see you the next time around!


End file.
